Nagpur: CBSE schools are now worried about completion of course for term-2, which accounts for 50% of the syllabus, as they get just two months to do it.
CBSE has changed the way board exams are conducted, starting from the current academic session. Term-1 board exams were conducted in November-December based on half of the syllabus. Term-2 may be held in March and marks of both exams will be used to tabulate final marksheet.
A CBSE school principal said, “Now, term-2 will take care of the other half of syllabus but many of us are lagging behind. In a normal year, Std X and XII syllabus study is completed by December or maximum mid-January. But this year, we did not have all students joining in offline mode, which created lots of problems in conducting classes. Online classes just not have the same impact as we had expected.”
For schools in city, it is a double whammy as their reopening happened late. Another CBSE principal said, “For rural areas, schools reopened months ago and they had a head-start. But since bulk of students come from city, physical attendance was not very encouraging. Still, it was better as compared to schools in city which reopened very late.”
But with online classes being going on since 2020, one would assume that both teachers and students have got used to it. A senior CBSE teacher said that’s far from the truth. “Getting used to means that it has become accepted as a form of teaching. But that is different from effective teaching. I can stand in front of a camera and just ramble on and complete my syllabus well in advance. But a sincere teacher who wants to ensure that all her students understand what is being taught will have to put in extra efforts. That is very difficult in online mode,” said the teacher.
Another concern for CBSE schools is regarding the biggest difference between term-1 and term-2 board exams. A principal said, “Term-1 was an MCQ format exam, while term-2 will be the traditional subjective-type format. Students are not in the habit of writing anymore and this will be a big challenge for them. To sit for two to three hours and write while racing against the clock is not something they are prepared for. Add to this the problem of course completion. It may very well result in poor performance in examination.”
CBSE has changed the way board exams are conducted, starting from the current academic session. Term-1 board exams were conducted in November-December based on half of the syllabus. Term-2 may be held in March and marks of both exams will be used to tabulate final marksheet.
A CBSE school principal said, “Now, term-2 will take care of the other half of syllabus but many of us are lagging behind. In a normal year, Std X and XII syllabus study is completed by December or maximum mid-January. But this year, we did not have all students joining in offline mode, which created lots of problems in conducting classes. Online classes just not have the same impact as we had expected.”
For schools in city, it is a double whammy as their reopening happened late. Another CBSE principal said, “For rural areas, schools reopened months ago and they had a head-start. But since bulk of students come from city, physical attendance was not very encouraging. Still, it was better as compared to schools in city which reopened very late.”
But with online classes being going on since 2020, one would assume that both teachers and students have got used to it. A senior CBSE teacher said that’s far from the truth. “Getting used to means that it has become accepted as a form of teaching. But that is different from effective teaching. I can stand in front of a camera and just ramble on and complete my syllabus well in advance. But a sincere teacher who wants to ensure that all her students understand what is being taught will have to put in extra efforts. That is very difficult in online mode,” said the teacher.
Another concern for CBSE schools is regarding the biggest difference between term-1 and term-2 board exams. A principal said, “Term-1 was an MCQ format exam, while term-2 will be the traditional subjective-type format. Students are not in the habit of writing anymore and this will be a big challenge for them. To sit for two to three hours and write while racing against the clock is not something they are prepared for. Add to this the problem of course completion. It may very well result in poor performance in examination.”
.